The best things to eat and drink in Egypt

08.10.2024 - 11:19 / lonelyplanet.com

Oct 7, 2024 • 11 min read

Modern Egyptian cuisine includes dishes that date back thousands of years to the time of the pharaohs, such as the green soup molokhiyya and hamam mahshi (stuffed pigeon). Bread was a daily staple in the Pharaonic era and remains so today. The Egyptian Arabic word for bread, aish, means “to live” and the local, round flatbread aish baladi is an essential accompaniment or container for a variety of meals.

Egyptian food also reflects the country’s geographical location – North African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern – as well as the influences of various civilizations, including Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman and French. For example, macarona béchamel is an adaptation of the Greek pastitsio, a baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce. The popular street food shawarma, meat cooked on a vertical spit, has its origins in the Ottoman Empire and subsequently the Levant.

Despite these influences, Egyptians have been able to hold on to their own culinary traditions and what they consider akl beety (homemade food). One such tradition is cooking with samna baladi, a clear golden liquid similar to ghee made by melting butter until the milk solids separate.

Rural communities along the Nile Valley and Delta prefer cooking with it instead of vegetable oils due to its distinct and rich flavor. It is used in everything from the ta’leya, a sautéed mixture of garlic and ground coriander added to molokhiyya, to the buttery layers in the Egyptian flaky pastry feteer.

In addition to taste, practical considerations also come into play. National dishes, such as fuul and ta’amiyya made from fava beans, as well as kushari – a mix of rice, lentils, pasta, and tomato sauce – serve as cheap and satisfying sustenance for the masses.

Where there is fuul, there is ta’amiyya. Fuul medames (mashed fava beans) and ta’amiyya (deep-fried patties made out of fava beans) are considered breakfast foods but can be consumed at any time of day. Fuul is traditionally stewed and served out of a large metal jug called a qedra. 

Ta’amiyya is the Egyptian version of falafel, which is made from chickpeas. The secret to tasty fuul and ta’amiyya sandwiches is adding the right stuff, such as olive oil, cumin, garlic, parsley and lemon juice for fuul, and tahini and chopped salad for ta’amiyya. The Alexandrian version of fuul usually adds chopped peppers, onions and tomatoes. For a spicy kick, ask for chili pepper.

Where to try it: Mahrous in Garden City has been around for around 70 years, according to the grandson of its founder, who personally serves up its specialties and rattles off the menu verbally. For a more modern take, try ta’amiyya tossed with harissa raisin hot sauce at Zööba.

Molokhiyya, a bright green soup made